Clash of the Titans (1981) - film review

The Greek god Zeus is outraged when King Acrisius of Argos sends his daughter Danaë and her newborn son Perseus out to sea in a sealed coffin.  The father of Perseus, Zeus saves him by guiding the coffin to the island of Seriphos, where the boy will grow into a strong and noble hero.  He also takes his revenge on Acrisius by flooding his city with the aid of the terrifying sea monster, the Kraken.  Now a man, Perseus is transported to the city of Joppa, where he encounters the beautiful Princess Andromeda.  Each evening, the spirit of the sleeping Andromeda is taken to Calibos, the man who was to marry her but who was transformed into a hideous monster when his mother, the sea goddess Thetis, angered the god Zeus.  Andromeda refuses to yield to Calibos and must instead watch her suitors perish in fire when they fail to solve the riddle they are set.  Perseus, madly in love with the princess, defeats Calibos with the help of the flying horse Pegasus.  Before he can claim Andromeda as his own, the vengeful Thetis threatens to send the Kraken to destroy Joppa unless the princess is sacrificed to the sea beast.  Having outwitted the cannibalistic Stygian witches, Perseus discovers that the only way to defeat the Kraken is by getting it to look upon the face of the Gorgon Medusa, a monstrous snake-like apparition who gaze will transform any living thing to stone.  Perseus is about to face his greatest challenge...

With its star studded cast, riveting epic story and unrivalled special effects, Clash of the Titans was one of the most popular and well-regarded fantasy films of the 1980s, recouping its 15 million dollar production cost three times.  It remains a highly watchable entry in a genre that has gone from strength to strength since the advent of computer generated special effects.  Back in 1981, when the film was first seem, computer effects were still in their infancy so most of the techniques used on this film are refinements of what had been around since the 1930s, principally stop motion animation orchestrated by legendary effects guru Ray Harryhausen.   Whilst some of the effects look a little creaky by today’s standards, most are stunning, and whatever imperfections there are in the quality of the effects are rendered virtually invisible by the film’s other artistic strengths.

The main attraction of this film is not Laurence Olivier in a badly fitting toga or Ursula Andress doing her goddess of love thing (no type casting here) but the glorious array of brilliantly conceived monsters that parade across the screen, thrilling and delighting audiences of all age groups.  From the cute robotic owl (who is suspiciously reminiscent of R2-D2 from the Star Wars films) to flying monstrosities, a gruesome multiple limbed Kraken and a terrifying (literally petrifying) Gorgon with flaring eyes, the weird and wonderful menagerie dominates the film to such an extent that it is easy to lose sight of the human protagonists (which is just as well, as they are far less interesting). 

Whilst it doesn’t quite have the visual poetry of similar fantasy epics such as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963), Clash of the Titans is an enjoyable romp that is easily one of the best introductions to Greek legend that cinema has so far given us.  Unlike the lacklustre 2010 remake, which seeks merely to impress with its special effects, this film employs its effects intelligently to bring to life one of the greatest epic fantasies of all time, an unforgettable story of heroism and bravery featuring a dazzling array of extraordinary mythical beasts.  Thanks to the genius of Ray Harryhausen, you’ll believe a horse can fly.

© Alex Sullivan 2011

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